Machine for affixing fastener elements onto a strip member



March 13, 1956 M. "r. DERBY ETAL 2,738,093 MACHINE FOR AFFIXING FASTENER ELEMENTS ONTO A STRIP MEMBER 2 SheetsSheet 1 Filed Nov. 29, 1954 JNVENTORS HESHAL L r 0595 Y DON ,4. GAY fidfm/ ATTORNEY March 1956 M. T. DERBY .ET AL MACHINE FOR AFFIXING FASTENER ELEMENTS ONTO A STRIP MEMBER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 29, 1954 NH a} i IN VEN TORS MARSH/4L L 7? DERBY BY y A TTOR/VE Y United States Patent MACHINE FOR AFFIXING FASTENER ELEMENTS ONTO A. STRIP MEMBER Marshall T. Derby and Don A. Gay, Downey, Calif., as-

signors to California Industrial Products "10., South Gate, Calif., a partnership Application November 29, 1954, Serial No. 471,764

Claims. (Cl. 218-4) This invention relates to a machine for affixing fastener elements onto a strip member.

In the automotive field-window-guiding channels are provided with fastener elements and the latter used to aflix said channels in position in an autobody. The foregoing is merely exemplary of a fastener-provided channel or the like. Heretofore, the placing and mounting of a fastener element onto a channel was carried out on the basis of feeding such elements singly to the place of mounting. The present machine contemplates improved means for feeding such elements successively to the point of attachment and for fastening the same to an elongated work-piece. It is an object of this invention to provide improved feeding and attaching means.

Another object of the invention is to provide means of the character indicated in which feed is effected through the medium of a tape or tapes mounting the fastener elements.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine of the character referred to with a drive for said tape or tapes that slips under resistance to movement of the fastener elements and is elfective to advance the element-mounted strip only after an element has been moved toward and afiixed to a channel, etc. A corollary object of the invention is to provide such means wherein the channel is moved toward the element-mounted strip.

The invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description. However, the drawings merely show and the following description merely describes one embodiment of the present invention, which is given by way of illustration or example only. i In the drawings, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a machine constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view as taken on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a similarly enlarged fragmentary plan sectional view as taken on line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view as taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a further enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view as taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view as taken on line 66 of Fig. 1 with the machine in retracted position and drawn to the scale of Figs. 3 and 4.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of a portion of element-mounted tape used in the present machine.

The element-mounted strip 9 shown in Figs. 1 and 7 comprises a series of similar fastener elements 10 arranged in uniformly spaced and oriented relation and "ice connected to and by tape means which, in this instance comprises a pair of tapes 11 that are provided on one face with an adhesive, such as rubber cement or the like. Each fastener element 10 is provided with a centrally-located stud 12 that extends from one side of a plate 13, here shown rectangular, and the tapes are applied with their adhesive-coated sides to said plates on the side from which the studs project. Clinching prongs 14, by means of which the elements are attached to a channel or other work-piece 15, extend from the opposite faces of said elements.

The work-piece 15 is shown as a member which forms no part of this invention and merely comprises the part onto which the present machine mounts the fastener elements 10. Ordinarily, said channel is formed of material that may readily be penetrated by prongs 14.

The present machine comprises generally, a frame 20 adapted to be mounted on a table 21, means 22 carried by the frame to guide an element-mounted strip 9 to guide the elements 10 thereof to a position at which they are attached to a work-piece 15, a holder 23 for the Workpiece, driving means 24 for the element-mounted strip, and means 25 for moving the element 10 that is in said attaching position in a direction to attach the same to the work-piece 15.

The frame 20 is shown as an integral casting formed to have a base 26 from which extends a column 27, a forwardly directed mount 28 extending from the upper end of the column. Said mount is provided with a transverse opening 29.

As shown, the frame base 26 may be formed to have a key 30 adapted to fit a slot 31 in the table 21 so the frame is non-movably held on said table when one or more conventional T-head bolts 32a fasten the frame to the table.

The means 22 is shown as comprising a block 32 secured to a face 33 of mount 28 of frame 20 by means of bolts 34, and a block 35 secured to the outer face of block 32 by means of bolts 36.

The block 35 extends forwardly from the machine and in its upper portion is provided witha guide channel 37 for the element-mounted strip 9. As shown, said channel comprises a central longitudinal groove 38 that accommodates the studs 12 of said strip while the tapes 11 thereof rest upon and slide along ledges 39 flanking said groove 38. Thus, the function of block 35 is to guide the strip 9 in a path that is transverse to the mount 28 of frame 20.

The block 32 is formed to have a vertical groove 40 that is shaped to accommodate the driver 41 of the means 25, the adjacent face of block 35 closing said groove to provide a confined passage for said driver. The upper end of said block 32 is formed to have a channel 42 that stands transverse to channel 37 but is elevated with respect to the bottom of the latter channel. Channel 42 is wide enough to accommodate work-piece 15 with ample clearance (Fig. 1) and, centrally, is formed to have a groove 43 that has the same function as groove 38 but, this time, to pass studs 12 after the fastener elements 10 have been attached to work-piece 15.

The work-piece holder 23 (Figs. 1, 4, and 5) comprises a plate 44 that is affixed to mount 28, as by bolts 45, in vertical alignment with the channel 42 of the means 22. The lower portion of said plate is thickened at 46 to provide a locating means for work-piece 15 and the under face of said thickened portion is formed to have anvil faces 47 that clinch over the prongs 14 when forced thereagainst by driver 41. I

The driving means 24 is carried by a platform 48 that is connected to the rear of frame 20 by a pivot 49 and extends rearwardly from said frame. The means 24 comprises a prime mover, such as an electric motor 50 that is provided with a speed reducer 51 and is mounted on platform 48. At a suitable speed, said motor rotates a shaft 52 on which is affixed a gear 53 and a cylindrical body 54 mounting a loosely-fitted sleeve 55 that has its outer surface straight-knurled, as shown.

Said shaft, gear, body and sleeve are disposed on one axis extending through a bracket 56 that is mounted, as on the speed reducer 51. On a parallel axis, a similar gear, body and sleeve are mounted on a shaft 57 that extends into slots 58 provided in opposite portions of bracket 57 and is engaged by screw studs 59 in a manner to adjust the sleeve 55 thereof toward and from the similar sleeve on shaft 52. Although the gears 53 remain in mesh, the screws 59 may be employed to adjust the pressure between sleeves 55 so that slippage, as desired, occurs when the tapes 11, after passing through opening 29, are gripped in face-to-face relationship (Fig. 2).

The means 25 comprises the mentioned driver 41 and a solenoid 60 mounted on frame base 26 and having a floating core 61 to which said driver is attached. Said solenoid is exemplary of driver-moving means since mechanical, hydraulic, or pneumatic means may be used instead. In the solenoid shown, the core and driver retract by gravity and are projected when the solenoid is energized.

From Figs. 1, 3, and 6, it will be seen that the driver 41 has rabbet-like recesses 62 in which the tapes 11 of strip 9 are accommodated when the driver is projected to engage the plate 13 of a fastener element aligned with said driver.

After an element 10 has been attached to work-piece and the driver returns to retracted position, it is necessary to pull the tapes 11 free of the element thus attached. To this end strippers 63 are provided, the same having lower bent ends 64 (Fig. 1) that extend beneath driver 41 and upper ends that are provided with notches 65 that constitute eyes through which the tapes 11 are threaded. Said eyes, where the driver is retracted are aligned with the normal path of the tapes of said strip 9. The block 32 is provided with slots 66 (Fig. 6) that register with eyes 65 in both retracted and projected position of the driver, the retracted position being shown in said figure. Said slots 66 open on the opening 29 in the frame 20.

Operation A strip 9 is placed in guideway channel 37 with the ends 67 of tapes 11 threaded through eyes 65, slots 66 and opening 29 and placed, after being put into face-toface relation with the adhesive-coated sides together; between sleeves 55 of the drive means. When the motor 50 is started, the tape ends 67 are drawn taut, pulling the first fastener element 10 into edge abutment with the face 68 of block 32. Since the sleeves are arranged to slip while drive of cylindrical bodies 54 continues, the strip remains stationary and, according to the degree of tautness, the platform 48 is elevated on its hinge 49. Thus, stop 69 is moved out of engagement with the frame (Fig. l) and the weight of the drive means is imposed on tapes 11 to maintain the same taut.

Now, upon energization of solenoid 60, the punch 41 is upwardly projected, encounters the fastener element 10 that is in its path, and moves the same into the attaching position shown in Figs. 4 and 5 wherein the prongs 14 are clinched over after penetrating the work-piece 15. The strippers 63 are moved up by tapes 1]. as the same accompany the fastener element until the top edges of said strippers are arrested by work-piece 15.

As the punch is retracted, the same pulls down on the ends 64 of the strippers and thereby causes the ends thereof having the eyes 65 to pull on the tapes 11 and strip or peel the same away from the attached fastener element. Now, the drive means 24 is able to pull on the strip to bring the next element 10 into position against the wall 68.

It will be realized that a multiplicity of elements can be arranged in spirally-moved relation on a spindle and fed, one-by-one, to the machine, the tapes 11 constituting a feeding medium. Since wall 68 stops the successive elements in proper positions for attachment, the elements 10 need not be uniformly spaced along tapes 11.

While the machine shows the element 10 moved upwardly toward channel 15, the reverse action would give comparable results. Thus, the channel 15 may be moved toward the element which is to be attached.

While the foregoing has illustrated and described what is now contemplated to be the best mode of carrying out the invention, the construction is, of course, subject to modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is, therefore, not desired to restrict the invention to the particular form of construction illustrated and described, but to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A machine for feeding and attaching a fastener element of a series of such elements separably connected to a flexible tape in series arrangement to form a flexible strip and each element being provided with prongs to penetrate and clinch over a work-piece member to which applied, said machine comprising means to guide said strip, means including a slippage drive to pull and, thereby, feed the strip along the guide means, a stop for the first fastener element on said strip to arrest the feed movement of the strip while the slippage drive slips, means to move said fastener element and the member to which applied relative toward each other, the latter means including a driver to engage said element and press the same into prong-penetrating engagement with the member, means engaged with the tape and operated by the driver to strip the tape away from the fastener element after the same has been applied.

2. A machine for feeding and attaching a fastener element of a series of such elements separably connected to a flexible tape in series arrangement to form a flexible strip and each element being provided with means adapted to connect with a work-piece and, thereby to become attached to said work-piece, said machine comprising slippage drive means to pull and, thereby, advance the tape of said strip, a position-limiting abutment in the path of first fastener element on the strip, means to relatively move the work-piece and said element toward each other and into position to attach the element to the work-piece, and means engaged with the tape and 0perated by the last-mentioned means to strip the tape away from the fastener element after the same has been applied to the work piece.

3. A machine according to claim 2: means to mount the fastener-element-receiving work-piece in a position in the path of applying movement of said element, and

a guideway for the strip terminating below said mount.

4. A machine according to claim 2: the strip having two tapes arranged in parallelism, passage means between the element-applying position and the slippage drive, said drive being receptive of said tapes after the same have been separated from the elements and placed in face-to-face engagement in said drive.

5. A machine for feeding and attaching a fastener, of a series of such fasteners separably connected to a flexible tape in series arrangement to form a flexible strip and each said fastener being provided with prongs to penetrate and clinch over a work-piece to which applied, means to mount a work-piece, a guide for the strip disposed below the work-piece mount and having an end terminating beneath said mount, means including a slippage drive to pull and, thereby, feed the strip along said guide, an abutment at said terminating end of the guide to arrest the movement of a fastener on said strip while subject to the pull of said slippage drive and, thereby, to arrest the feed movement of the strip, and means to move the mentioned fastener in a direction toward the mentioned mount and toward a work-piece mounted thereon, said mount embodying anvil means to clinch the prongs of the fastener so moved after penetrating the workpiece on the mount.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 750,605 Cohen Jan. 26, 1904 6 Tatar Nov. 19, 1929 Twomley Dec. 5, 1933 Flood Apr. 10, 1934 Flood Sept. 17, 1935 Kendall July 20, 1948 

